


Social Call

by Eldritch



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, Vagrant Story
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-05
Updated: 2008-08-05
Packaged: 2017-10-20 06:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/209909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eldritch/pseuds/Eldritch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For nekokoban, from a crossover meme. The prompt was: "the Rood-Bearer in Victorian England."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Social Call

There was a man staring at him. That fact itself was nothing new--Ciel was well aware that he stood out amongst the crowd of party goers, if not by virtue of his age, then by the patch covering his eye. And he was not so naïve as to be unaware of the other reasons a boy with his delicate features would catch a man's eye. Ciel pretended to take a sip of his wine and scanned the wall the man was standing against with an air of practiced indifference. Any observer would think he was merely admiring the many priceless paintings adorning the walls of Lady DuBois's ballroom. In reality, he knew the contents of the paintings by heart, as they had all been stolen from various well-meaning yet inept collectors throughout the Empire over the past six months. Displaying them now was a gesture of remarkable pride and stupidity on the part of the Lady. For the moment, at least, they held little interest to Ciel--he was focused on something else entirely.

The man was large, easily taller than Sebastian, and built like an ox. Despite the fact that he seemed to have made a valiant effort at combing his hair back, two tails stood up from the rest of the short, reddish-brown mass. Were it not for the pleasantly attractive lines of his face, he would have seemed entirely out of place at the party, even moreso than Ciel himself. As it was, he wore his suit with the stiffness of one not used to such finery. A soldier, then, Ciel decided, though oddly out of uniform. He risked a direct look at the man, and nearly jerked in surprise. Brown eyes met Ciel's visible one, and he found himself feeling uncomfortably bared. It was as though the man could see right through him. His right eye felt itchy and hot, and he knew that if he removed the patch the contract seal would be glowing. There was a foggy feeling in his head, as though something else was in there, and his wineglass slipped to the floor--

Sebastian was at his side in an instant. Cool, gloved hands caught his arm and supported him as he stumbled backwards in shock. Ciel glanced up at Sebastian to gauge his reaction to the man--would there be a fight? What he saw there surprised him. Though always a deep ruby, Sebastian's eyes looked more like glowing embers as he regarded the man, a sure sign something was amiss. But the butler merely inclined his head once in a polite nod. When Ciel looked back, the man was gone, as though he had simply vanished into the shadows.

"Another demon?" Ciel asked, the slight hitch his voice unfortunately beyond his control.

"Ah." Sebastian knelt before him, carefully straightening Ciel's lapels. "No, my lord. Something far more dangerous, I'm afraid. Though I am unsure of why he chose to show himself at tonight's party."

Ciel cursed his inability to hide the panic he knew flashed through his eye at those words. An unknown element was a possible disruption to his plans, and one that even Sebastian admitted to be dangerous was worse. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "And?" he prompted.

A slow smile stretched over Sebastian's face. "I daresay he will not be bothering us further. It is not for the Dark to interfere with a contract already in place."

"You will tell me of this Dark," Ciel told him, his voice low. "Tonight. That is an order." He turned his back on his butler and strode onto the dance floor with Sebastian's hissed assent echoing in his ears. Strange men in ill-fitting suits would have to wait until they returned home.

For the moment, he had a smuggling ring to bring down.


End file.
